THREE people were arrested after a weekend of protests outside a Hayes warehouse against the selling of Valentine's Day flowers from Palestine.

The Boycott Israeli Goods campaign staged two protests at the Swallowfield Way site to disrupt Carmel Agrexco's business.

The protestors claimed victory this week saying they stopped all lorries carrying the flowers from getting into the site.

Campaigner Tom Hayes said: "It was a success. There was a publically announced action on Saturday where about 120 people demonstrated outside the gates and picketed the gates preventing any lorries going in at their second busiest time of the year. One lorry came out but no lorries at all went in.

"There was a broad cross section of people there from children to people in their 60s and 70s.

"On Sunday activists arrived unannounced at 6.30am and three people locked themselves to the gates using bicycle locks which they put around their necks.

"They prevented any lorries coming in for a further three or four hours.

"I think that would be their best day as they are trading now for Valentine's Day."

The campaign group, who were joined by War on Want and Jews for Boycotting, are protesting against the export of goods from occupied areas of Palestine while native farmers suffer trade restrictions at the hands of the Israeli forces.

He said Carmel Agrexco imports flower from illegally occupied areas like Gaza and the West Bank where Palestinians regularly have their trade routes shut off by the Israeli army.

"Our aims were to disrupt their busy weekend which we did and the other was to show solidarity with the people of Palestine," he said.

"I think it's important that we show the people of Palestine that though our state is throwing its full support behind the Israeli occupation the people do not give support to their actions.

"Many people at the demonstration have been to Palestine and seen first-hand the oppression of the Palestinian people.

"Many have been to the Jordan Valley where Agrexco work on several sites that are on stolen palestinian land.

"The speak to many people whop are forced to work for Agrexco because of the strangle-hold there is on the Palestinian economy.

"They said the best thing for us to do here is campaign against corporations which are making money out of their suffering."

But general manager at Carmel Agrexco, Amos Orr, said his company is not doing anything illegal - and the protests achieved nothing.

"The protest had no effect at all," he said. "On Saturday it was for about three hours. We brought in two or three trucks and we got one out. There was no problem.

"On Sunday it was for about an hour-and-a-half. The police came and arrested a few guys and that was the end of that.

"They say it is illegal to sell produce from the West Bank - if it was illegal we wouldn't have done it.

"We are exporting from Gaza. The farmers have the opportunity to export through Egypt but they choose to go with us.

"We just sell products, whether they come from Lima in Peru, or the West Bank, or Israel.

"They have the option to sell through Egypt but the majority of people want to go with Agrexco.

"It's a country of law here. They wouldn't let us sell if it was illegal - what we are doing has been approved many times in Brussels. There is nothing against the law here."

He also denied that the campaigners had carried out a peaceful protest saying: "Usually they lock themselves to the fences. They say that is peaceful protest but it's simply not true.

"We can't operate if they lock themselves to the gates. Thankfully the police in this country are great and they dealt with the situation."

Police have confirmed that three people were arrested on Sunday on suspicion of aggravated trespassing and highway obstruction.

All three have been bailed to return at a later date.